When Disturbed announced they had a new album coming, they polled fans before releasing the first single, asking them if they wanted to hear a heavy song or a ballad. Heaviness prevailed as "Are You Ready" was released, followed by a lighter track, "A Reason to Fight." For fans of both facets of Disturbed, Evolution balances the two with four lighter songs on the standard 10-track edition of the record.

"We listened to a lot of classic rock the past [album] cycle," singer David Draiman says in our exclusive video interview above. He name checks Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks era), older Genesis, Kansas and Triumph as some of the driving forces behind the sounds contained within Evolution. "We really started getting nostaglic about that whole era," he continues. "It's kind of that vibe that ended up fostering the environment that made this record happen. The beautiful thing about those classic rock era records is that they were not one dimensional in any way — they took you on this musical journey with so many different dynamics and we missed that. We wanted to try and take our own stab at it."

Speaking about the new song "Watch You Burn," which features orchestration, Draiman explained, "That's one of the more experimental songs on the record. It was one of the acoustic tracks — or ballads even though it's got that heavier feel to it — that we wrote earlier on in the session."

Fans may be wondering what happened to the band's plans to precede their next studio album with an acoustic EP. Those plans were indeed there as the frontman said that Disturbed have had plans for an acoustic release for "more than a decade." He detailed, "We've always backburnered it because the machine kept rolling and, 'Oh we're making another Disturbed record, let's start right out with the heavy stuff because that's what we do,' and we would never get to it necessarily."

"These songs came together so powerfully and were just such monsters on their own right that it fit very well within the whole desire that we had to try and pay homage to and re-create the vibe of those classic rock records that took you on your journey," Draiman said.

Turning our attention to one small quote where the singer likened Disturbed's Evolution to Metallica's 'Black Album," Draiman clarified his remarks. Metallica's groundbreaking 1991 album introduced heavy music to the mainstream and served as a gateway to heavy metal for those who had never heard or liked it before. "From a stylistic standpoint, what record do I feel within our discography has the greatest potential to reach the largest amount of people? I feel this is the one," he asserts. "I might be wrong — I hope I'm not — but, again, It's more of an aspiration; it certainly wasn't a proclamation."

Evolution comes out Oct. 19 and can be purchased here. Look for Disturbed on the road as they embark on a world tour in 2019.

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